Gardening: Treasures around home, yard can be repurposed for growing

For us gardeners, a penny saved is a penny — well, a penny that can help buy the next plant that we fall in love with.

Making the most of every cent (along with time and other limited resources) is part of the job for Peter Lowe, landscape manager at Dawes Arboretum.

During a recent phone call, he shared some of his favorite money- and time-saving tips for home gardeners.

Look locally

Believe it or not, your neighborhood or even your yard could offer a source of free mulch.

Chipped wood and bark from a felled or fallen tree — as long as it’s not diseased or infested, such as with emerald ash borer — make excellent mulch, Lowe said.

“If you see somebody in the neighborhood doing some chipping, go up to them and say, ‘Hey, what are you going to do with those chips?’ ”

Your neighbor might be glad to have you haul them away.

If a tree company is chipping a large specimen in your neighborhood, don’t hesitate to ask them, either. Companies often must pay to dump a load of chips and might be grateful to have a nearby homeowner take them.

Recycle this newspaper

Old-fashioned newspapers are so cool.

They deliver interesting articles like the one you’re reading now, carry money-saving coupons, and — according to Lowe — can be a big help in the landscape.

Place one or two layers on the ground before you spread mulch (the garden pages work especially well), and you’ll create a cheap, biodegradable weed suppressor.

If you’re starting a new flower or vegetable bed, he suggests placing three to five layers of newspaper over existing turf and then putting a layer of cardboard on top.

“That layer kills the grass and makes it easier to start a bed without any harsh chemicals,” he said.

Save your soil

Drainage holes in pots and containers are a mixed blessing: They let out excess water, but potting soil often goes along with it.

Lowe offers an easy solution using something you probably already have in your kitchen: a coffee filter, which you can place over a drainage hole inside a pot.

Water, of course, drains freely through the filter — but “when you water, you’re not washing all that soil out,” he explained.

Transform a stump

Stuck with an old stump or an unwieldy log?

Consider turning it into a free, unique and eco-friendly planter, Lowe suggests.

If it’s already hollowed out, fill the opening with potting medium and plant flowers, ferns or even veggies, depending on the amount of sun.

Otherwise, you can carve a hole with an ax or sharp trowel. Because you’re going for a rustic look, don’t worry about symmetry or smooth edges.

You’ll be helping the environment as well as your pocketbook, Lowe said, because “you’re not removing anything from the landscape.”